Sri Lanka - Mirissa Merry Christmas

After Colombo and the Hill Country Mirissa was the perfect beach stop on our tour of Sri Lanka with the girls.  As well as enjoying time on the lovely clean beach at Mirissa, we all agreed that our guest house near the beach was idyllic.  We could easily have stayed longer than our planned four days, and if you're coming to this part of Sri Lanka we heartily recommend a stay at The Spice House.

Mirissa is made up of several small bays, but the largest bay (maybe 500m from end to end) has clean golden sand backed by palm trees and lined with small cafes and beach bars.  There's nothing very luxurious or sophisticated here, and even though it was Xmas week it wasn't too crowded during the day.  I must confess we were never on the beach at the end of the day, or the evening, as the splendid pool and tropical gardens at The Spice House drew us back there after the beach got too hot for us.  We had very comfortable first floor rooms at the back of the old Colonial house, now a gorgeous boutique hotel. Doors from our rooms opened onto a long balcony and looking out over the gardens, pool and jungle beyond was delightful.  The owners, an English husband and Sri Lankan wife, maintain high standards and this all adds up to a fabulous stay.

The view from our balcony at The Spice House

It was only a few minutes in a tuktuk from the Spice House to the beach or a hot 10 minute walk along the main road. The main coast road is closely packed with hotels, guest houses and restaurants and huge Sri Lankan buses zoom along here too, so we were glad the Spice House was set back from this up a small side road. Our only disappointment in Mirissa was the food.  Perhaps we made poor choices (thanks to Trip Advisor) but apart from our Xmas lunch at The Spice House, Mirissa did not wow us with culinary delights.  We certainly didn't starve and price reflected quality, but don't come to Mirissa for the food.

On the other hand the beach is worth coming for.  The south west beaches of Sri Lanka are famous for surfing and as Mirissa's waves are good for learning to surf the waves here are fairly vigorous but not terrifying. Although I wasn't brave enough to take the waves on, Gordon enjoyed being thrown about under them, but required ibuprofen the next day to sort out his aching back! Worth it, he claimed.

We had a wonderfully relaxing and memorable time in Mirissa and were sad to leave on Boxing Day morning to drive to Galle, north of Mirissa. For the girls Boxing Day was a full day of travelling - Galle to Colombo train and then late evening flight back to KL.  We loved spending Xmas with the girls and remain grateful that, as they get further into their twenties, they actually want to spend a good chunk of their holiday time with us, their parents.  There were conversations about where in the world we might all meet for another holiday and this brought warm feelings to my heart.

Xmas day in Mirissa

Galle Fort was hot and steamy and after a not very thorough inspection of the ramparts and a quick glance at the sea views and iconic lighthouse, we lingered over lunch in a cafe with delightfully cold air conditioning.  Mid afternoon we waved the girls off as they piled into a tuktuk with a boot large enough to accommodate Joanne's trunk and Ellen's hand luggage  (see my previous blog post which explains the luggage).  They reported later that the train ride along the coast was scenic, but hot and crowded.  It took a nano second for me to decide that Galle to Colombo Fort by train was not for me.

After spending the night in Galle Fort at a simple guest house,  an early morning stroll around the ramparts changed my opinion of the place.  The day before it'd been hot and crowded with very little charm, but now we noticed old Dutch buildings, amazingly preserved ramparts, and the area full of history and character.  There are a huge number of shops selling gem stones and just walking past them you are encouraged to step inside and have a look. We resisted.  A few hours in Galle is enough, but we were glad we'd a second chance to see the fort before it filled up with people for the day.

We had yet another incompetent taxi driver for the 2.5 hour journey from Galle to Colombo. He had no clue about where to go once we got to the outskirts of Colombo but Google maps and my phone saved the day.  Checking in at the Renuka City Hotel for our final night in Sri Lanka it was nice to be remembered by the reception staff.  For a mid priced hotel in Colombo the Renuka City Hotel is wonderful (pay a bit extra for a deluxe room though).  At 5pm we jumped into a tuktuk and sped off to the Cinnamon Red Hotel for sundowners on the open air rooftop bar called Cloud Red on the 26th floor.  Great views of Colombo.  This was a breezy experience but after a couple of delicious cocktails and tapas we didn't notice the howling wind. A fine last night in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka - Colombo and the Hill Country

After a week in the “cultural triangle” in central Sri Lanka we headed to Colombo on 17 December, our final day with driver Rohan.  I’d imagined a scenic and rural countryside drive from Dambulla to Colombo, but was disappointed.  The drive to Colombo was anything but rural and the roads busy and congested as we passed through towns.   As we approached Colombo, even more traffic, so progress was slow reaching our city hotel just south of Colombo Fort.  As we settled into our room at Renuka City Hotel we were excited at the prospect of meeting the girls in Colombo for our upcoming Christmas holiday.   Ellen arrived late Friday night from KL with a tiny suitcase (she impressed us – only hand luggage) and Joanne a few days later from Germany.

Colombo exploration in a tuktuk

It was hot on Saturday morning, 16 December, by the time we started exploring Colombo.  The sight of tourists appearing on busy Galle Road from a hotel brought multiple tuktuks weaving towards us, all eager for us to choose them.  In spite of the heavy city traffic (at least half are tuktuks), tuktuks are an enjoyable mode of transport, getting you from A to B as swiftly as possible, with a bit of breeze in your hair. Yes, you inhale exhaust fumes, but that’s unavoidable.  With shopping high on Ellen’s agenda we found ourselves at a well known gift shop and restaurant called Barefoot.  Barefoot products are all designed and made in Sri Lanka by local artists and craftspeople and it’s pretty much a must-visit shop for tourists. Shopping commenced and then a good lunch!  Sunday morning was devoted to more serious sightseeing, with a walk in the Colombo Fort district and the busy, rough and ready market streets in Pettah.  The former is full of old Colonial buildings and borders a huge port (no public access).  Standing in front of the iconic Grand Oriental Hotel (opened in 1875) we imagined what it must have been like to arrive in Colombo and stagger over to the hotel from the port terminal. Unfortunately the hotel is no longer a grand place to stay, although it is still open.

Grand Oriental Hotel in Colombo Fort

Colombo Port and terminal from the Grand Oriental Hotel

We liked Colombo very much and in spite of the heat and traffic enjoyed zooming around the city in a tuktuk, retiring to a restaurant or cafe for refreshment.  Sitting on the verandah at Galle Face Hotel, another grand iconic hotel overlooking the sea, we downed G&Ts and had a pleasant lunch before going to the airport to meet Joanne's flight.

G&Ts on the verandah at Galle Face Hotel in Colombo

Leaving Ellen basking by the rooftop pool at our hotel, Gordon and I went to the airport on Sunday afternoon to meet Joanne. She too surprised us with her luggage.  She appeared with an enormous trunk-sized suitcase and after we’d stopped laughing she explained that the lack of an appropriate suitcase only become apparent as she started to pack the day before (the day of her flight). We had many laughs and jokes at Joanne's expense over the next ten days as Ellen’s suitcase seemed ever smaller next to Joanne’s "trunk" as we moved around Sri Lanka.

Our pale-skinned Joanne fresh out of Europe!

With Joanne's arrival completing our family group we set off by road on Monday morning to Newara Eliya, known as Little England, in the hill country. Mentally prepared for a long day’s drive I’d read that the 170km would take 5 – 6 hours.  As predicted, leaving Colombo was slow...more traffic than the roads can cope with, as well as poor road conditions through busy towns.  Almost the entire way the road was narrow and windy but as we climbed higher into the hills the towns became smaller.  After covering only 100km in about 4 hours we stopped for lunch at a simple riverside hotel near Kitulgala, with beautiful views over the Kelani Ganga River. From our lunch spot we could see rafts coming down the river, this being a popular white water rafting destination.  

On the way to Newara Eliya in the Hill Country

From here on the windy road gave us great views of jungle vegetation and tea plantations but it remained slow going as our skilful driver avoided oncoming traffic (often enormous buses travelling at great speed) which frequently appeared as we rounded sharp bends. The hill country really is hilly, with the road constantly winding upwards and then lowering into the valleys.  We stopped to admire a view of St Clair’s waterfall and have a cup of pure Ceylon tea at a small shop selling tea from the nearby St Clair’s tea plantation.  Being several hundred metres higher than Colombo the afternoon air felt crisp and cool, a welcome change from the heat of Colombo.

Near Newara Eliya, Hill Country

Always a good cuppa in Sri Lanka

St Clair's tea plantation, Hill Country

At 1868m above sea level Newara Eliya is the highest of the hill country towns and really does have a British country town feel to it. We immediately noticed how green it is (it rains a lot here) and the English style bungalows and cottages built during the colonial period. Some even having Tudor frontages.  Our hotel for the night was an old colonial bungalow near the centre of town, now a guest house.  Although warmly welcomed, the dated décor and very old bathrooms took the edge off the history for me!  After the heat of Colombo and central Sri Lanka the hill country felt cold and we layered up before heading into town to find dinner.

Gregory Lake in Newara Eliya

We’d intended to take the train from Newara Eliya (the nearby station Nanu Oya) to Ella, but as I hadn’t been able to reserve seats on this popular route we went by road on Tuesday morning.  It was disappointing to miss what is reputed to be one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world, but the thought of standing for 3 -4 hours if we didn’t get a seat on the train made the road journey a welcome alternative!  The drive to Ella was (like the previous day) a lot of ups and down and hairpin bends, and every now and then dramatic views of jungle covered hillsides and valleys, interspersed with vast areas of tea bushes.

The name Ella conjures up a quaint town in the hills, but it’s really a base for tourists who come to  hike around the hilly countryside.  It’s a small bustling place and Ella’s popularity has brought expansion and everywhere you look there construction, which doesn’t really add to the charm of the town.  We stayed at The Chillout, a km from town, charmingly described on Trip Advisor as a peaceful retreat. Unfortunately the construction of a small hotel opposite meant this was anything but a place to chill out.  We felt sorry for Chillout's owner whose business is likely to suffer because of the noisy building works so close by.

Chillout and the green hillside seen from Little Adam's Peak path
(and the ugly construction site nearby!)

As soon as we arrived we set off to Little Adam’s Peak.  It only takes about half an hour to get to the top and the views from there are worth the climb. I should think everyone who comes to Ella does this walk. 

Views along path to Little Adam's Peak

Wednesday, our second day in Ella, we woke up to the sound of rain and it rained so hard the whole day we didn’t go walking. The road near the guest house became a river of red mud, carefully negotiated when we ventured out to for lunch at a nearby restaurant.

On the balcony at Chillout, hoping the rain will stop

The road to lunch!

Sri Lankan rice and curry in Ella

Thursday morning, at dawn, Gordon, Ellen and Joanne set off to hike up Ella Rock, a mountain peak which overlooks the town of Ella.  The popular 4 hour hike begins by following train tracks through tea plantations and villages and then ascends the peak which is famous for amazing views. About an hour after starting out Joanne felt unwell and it started raining so they made the wise decision to turn back. By midday the rain and mist over Ella finally lifted and the sun came out. At last, a chance to get out and about.  Getting to Uva Halpewatte tea factory in a tuktuk was an alarming/thrilling ride as the ancient noisy tuktuk taking me and Ellen struggled to keep going up the steep and windy road. Stunning views of the steep hillsides covered in tea bushes are memorable.

Uva Halpewatte Tea Estate

Three days in Ella was perhaps a little long since the rain curtailed outdoor activities, and as we piled into yet another vehicle for a half day drive to the south coast we all looked forward to warm days on the beach.  The 4 hour drive from Ella to Mirissa was much prettier than expected. Once down from the hills we careered along quiet country roads between rice fields and coconut plantations, not stopping for lunch, eager to get to the Spice House where we'd be spending Christmas.

Sri Lanka- Days 4 - 6 Ruins, Rock and Caves

Polonnaruwa, Tuesday 12 December

Polonnaruwa in brief: around 800 years ago Polonnaruwa was the commercial and religious centre of Sri Lanka. It thrived for three centuries as the royal capital of the Sinhalese and Chola kingdoms, but in the early 13th century Polonnaruwa’s glory started to decline until it was sadly abandoned. The capital then moved to where Colombo is today and the city of Polonnaruwa was left to become the Polonnaruwa ruins.

 

Polonnaruwa ruins quietly wowed us. The ruins of the ancient city is another of Sri Lanka’s UNESCO World Heritage sites and we spent a happy morning admiring the main structures spread out east of Parakrama Sudraya, a large man-made rainwater reservoir. Knowing very little about ancient Sri Lankan civilisations, the larger ruins are astonishing when you imagine how magnificent they must have looked in the 12th Century. One of the palaces stood seven storeys high.

We spent several hours exploring the major ruins and as the morning warmed up we were once again grateful to have driver Rohan ferrying us around the leafy avenues which make up the ancient city.  We did see weary groups on bicycles, which I had read was a good way to get around the sites, but considering the climate and size of the area biking would require great stamina. So glad we included Polonnaruwa in our cultural triangle tour.  We rewarded ourselves with a second afternoon of poolside relaxation at our lakeside hotel, where we were still the only guests. Quite lovely having the pool and gardens to ourselves, and contentment continued as we replicated the previous night’s activities of sunset G&Ts and rummy.

Dambulla, Wednesday 13 December

We had a pleasant morning drive to Dambulla, the route being through a national park and several small towns. Once there, things didn’t go quite to plan. We took an instant dislike to the accommodation I’d booked and decided not to stay.  Driver Rohan offered to take us somewhere he knew, so we put our trust in him and settled back into the car.  After driving for quite a while down very poor roads, between farmland, rice fields and small rivers we arrived at Nice Place. Gordon negotiated hard and we secured a room for $60 a night.  We wouldn’t recommend a stay here but it was ok for two nights - sparse clean room, good aircon.   Rohan’s board and lodge was free, so he was happy.  It was here at Nice Place that hotel staff sprinted (and I’m not exaggerating) towards Gordon to pull his backpack off his back when they saw him wearing it.  He’s had few chances to carry his backpack in Sri Lanka as the sight of him wearing it makes guest house staff hurry towards him and remove it. I continue to be a fan of a luggage with wheels so we are rather mismatched in our travel style!

Dambulla caves

Most come to Dambulla to see the cave temple complex and climb Sigiriya rock fortress, so this was our plan too.  After a rest at Nice Place we headed out late afternoon to Dambulla cave temple which dates from 1st Century B.C.  It was a hot and humid climb up hundreds of rough steps to the entrance to the caves.  After removing our shoes we wandered through caves which contain statues of Buddha and intricate paintings of Buddha on the walls and ceilings. From the rock near the cave entrance there’s a great view of the surrounding countryside and we joined other tourist resting on the rock before making our way down. An interesting sight.

Reclining Buddha in one of the caves at Dambulla

Sirigiya Rock, Thurday 14 December

Our early morning climb of Sigiriya Rock had me puffing and panting, but we easily reached the top in under an hour.  Gordon's mania to be first up had to be managed, but it was good to admire the views from the top with hardly anyone else there.

Sigiriya Rock

The final path to the top of Sirigiya rock

What makes this a truly astounding experience is the realisation that the steep sided rock was part of a city complex and where we were standing had once been the site of a palace. It’s unbelievable to imagine the construction of a large building up there given how difficult it is to access the top.  As we walked down, just after 8am, the way up was looking pretty congested and with the day warming up rapidly climbing Sigiriya in the heat would be hard.  The area around the rock probably deserved some exploration, but we drove back to Nice Place in time to have breakfast, our day's "work" over!

Gordon with Rohan, our driver

Sri Lanka - Day 3 Mihintale Mountain

Sri Lanka, Monday 11 December – Day 3

Early morning climb on Mihintale Mountain

We left our hotel at 6 am this morning for the short drive to Mihintale, 12 km east of Anuradhapura.   Mihintale, revered as the birthplace of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, is a temple complex and pilgrimage site set on a 300m high rock.  There are over 1800 steps carved out of the granite rock to walk up to reach the top, hence our early start while it was cool.

Wide stairway at Mihintale Mountain

We were alone as we started up the wide stairway and even though we walked slowly, and the sun wasn’t shining, we soon felt hot.  It’s a pretty walk with trees and shrubs lining the wide staircase and at various levels along the way monastery ruins and monuments are dotted about.  We didn’t linger to inspect these but kept going, stopping frequently, and reached the plateau at the top after about half an hour.  Although we were the only visitors up there that early the plateau was buzzing with young monks in bright orange robes sweeping the sand around Ambasthala Dagoba, a small stupa dating from 165-193 A.D. 

Ambasthala Dagoba at the top of Mihintale

Right on the summit of the hill, reached by more steps, is the white painted Mahasaya Stupa 67-79 A.D.  From here fabulous views of the surrounding landscape, although it was a bit hazy.  Back down to the plateau, there was just one more ascent to be done, a rock called Aradhana Gala.  By hauling ourselves up the rock using the iron railings we were quickly at the top admiring the 360 degree view.  Well worth the climb.  Once again we marvelled at the human effort and religious devotion that was the focus of this ancient complex.

View of Mahasaya Stupa (top left) from the rock summit at Mihintale

The rock summit at Mihintale 

Climbing up the rock at the top of Mihintale

By mid morning Rohan was driving us south to our next stop in the cultural triangle, Polonnaruwa.   He recommended a place for lunch so we turned off the main road and the car bumped along a very narrow track between rice fields, arriving minutes later at a house beside a small river.  We’d arrived at Jaga Restaurant and Jaga beamed at us as we strolled into the open air eating area.  We were the only people there.  As we admired the river setting Jaga drew our attention to the wildlife....some very vicious looking monitors.  We’d never seen monitors before, and as they crawled lethargically along the river bank, just metres from where we were standing, they looked just like  crocodiles.  Jaga feeds them, which explains their close presence.  We chose a table set back a little way from the water, in spite of the wooden batons  placed along the river bank to prevent the ugly creatures dragging themselves towards us! Lunch was the usual Sri Lankan rice and curry buffet, and we helped ourselves from the vast selection of curries made by Jaga’s wife.  This curry buffet was the nicest we had during our week in the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka, as the curries were hot and tasted fresh, as well as being in a pleasant setting.  Jaga is proud to be ranked the number 1 restaurant of Polonnaruwa on Trip Advisor, so worthy of the detour off the main road.

A scary looking monitor on the rive bank beside Jaga Restaurant

Rice and curry buffet at Jaga Restaurant

A few kilometres on from Jaga Restaurant we reached Thidas Arana Lake, a small hotel overlooking Lake Parakrama, about 1 km off the main road into Polonnaruwa, our hotel for 2 nights.   Our basic lake view room was spotlessly clean with a modern bathroom, and from the large window there’s a lovely view of the pool and lake beyond.  We decided to do the sights of Polonnaruwa the following day, so the remainder of today was devoted to chilling out at the hotel.  Sitting in the gardens we were excited to see elephants on the shore of the lake some distance way and the hotel staff reported that elephants are a common sight near the hotel.  Happily there’s a good fence around the hotel so no danger of them wandering into the grounds. 

Sunset over the lake at Thidas Arana Lake Hotel, Polonnaruwa

Late afternoon we enjoyed excellent gin and tonics and hot roasted cashew nuts in the garden, and watched the sun go down while playing rummy, feeling very happy and content to be in such a beautiful tranquil place. The lake setting reminded us a lot of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe.  Later, when it was dark, as we had a solitary dinner in the dimly lit open air dining area, we could hear elephants thrashing about in the bush just outside the hotel fence and local fisherman shouting and waving torchlights at them, presumably to ward them away from their boats.  We wondered if the elephants would be back later, but we'd never have heard them over the roar of our air conditioner!

Sri Lanka - Day 2 Stupas and Coconuts in Anuradhapura

Sri Lanka, Sunday 10 December – Day 2
Anuradhapura: Stupas and Coconuts

We had a leisurely 9.30am start to see the ancient ruins.  Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, and today considered sacred to the Buddhist world.  It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a great number of renovated monuments, temples and historical sights are spread out over a large leafy area, too large to do on foot.  Not cheap either, as a ticket to see most of the major sites is US$25 each.

We were happy to be guided by our driver Rohan, and he motored us from site to site, kindly getting us as close as he could to the entrances of temples and stupas and ruins.  This sounds rather precious, but as the day warmed up to well over 30 C collapsing back into the air conditioned car after a very hot walk around a stupa was heavenly. As for the sights themselves, an overwhelming number of them.

Guard Stone      7 - 9 Century A.D.

Most of the religious sites require the removal of shoes and hats, so we are gradually hardening up our soft European feet as we walk around the temples and stupas.  This is usually on a sand (I hesitate to add the word “fine” here) or paving stones, and the latter gets very hot in the midday heat.  We’ve been surprised at how few Western or Asian tourists we’ve seen in Anuradhapura, with most of the visitors to the sites being Sri Lankan.   Sunday is a popular day for locals to visit the sacred sites, so many places were crowded from mid morning onwards with Sri Lankans dressed mostly in white, which is regarded as appropriate dress for religious sites.

Sunday visitors to the sacred sites in Anuradhapura

Flower seller selling lotus flowers next to the temples

We had two sessions seeing the sights today, going back to the hotel at midday when it was way too hot to be walking around.  From our hotel it was a short stroll to a nearby guest house for a Sri Lankan lunch of curry, and late afternoon we resumed our sightseeing with Rohan and ticked off the last remaining stupas.  The sights of Anuradhapura are dotted around a large area of well maintained leafy roads and a few small lakes, and road access strictly controlled by barriers and ticket offices.  The whole area is well managed and protected and it’s a very pleasant place to spend a day. Lots of monkeys everywhere!

Monkeys watching the world go by!

We saw a number of amazing monuments but a memorable one is Abhayagiri Stupa. This stunning structure was built in 88 BC and as we walked around the around the base of this huge brick stupa we marvelled at the effort it must have taken to construct.  It’s regarded as one of the greatest structures of the ancient world, it’s scale matched only by the Egyptian pyramids at Giza.  Not far away we saw a similar looking stupa, Jetavanarama Dagoba, built in the 3rd Century, and the third tallest structure in the world at the time it was built (after the pyramids in Egypt).  Seeing so many ancient buildings in one day you do need a bit of imagination to appreciate the scale of the ancient city and the complex religious societies that existed here so long ago.

Abhayagiri Stupa: if you can zoom in, Gordon's in the forefront.
This was a hot walk in bare feet!

Jetavanarama Stupa

In between stupas and ruins we stopped to sample a king coconut, native to Sri Lanka, from a roadside seller.  In a matter of seconds the stallholder chopped the top off the orange coloured coconut with a sharp machete and with a straw we drank the delicious coconut water.  Afterwards the coconut was cut in half and we ate the slimy white coconut flesh, also delicious.  Definitely felt perkier after the coconut stop!

Returning wearily to the Randiya Hotel at 5pm we made our way to the hotel’s deserted swimming pool and were excited to discover there a bar with alcohol.  We’d read that alcohol is not readily available in the region, so a couple of gin and tonics lifted our spirits as we recalled the day’s sights.  Having eaten so well at lunch time and with our bellies full of drinks (we did only have 2 each!) we skipped dinner this evening and were in bed and asleep by 8.30pm.  Just as well, as Monday morning’s alarm was set for 5.30am.